Resistance
by BirthofNight
Summary: Takes place after the events of Nevermore. Cal is determined to save his brother and Robin, at any cost. Will he succeed?


**Chapter 1**

 **A/N : So, this is my first story I've published. I've written dozens, but just recently got the nerve (or crazy-assed impulse I'll probably regret later) to post. I absolutely love the Cal Leandros series, and the fandom. I coincidently read all of the stories on this site in anticipation of the release of Everwar, so I decided to try my hand in writing. I apologize ahead of time. It is by no means the best, but hey. I will be updating weekly, and if not weekly, then monthly. But I promise not to abandon this story! Without further ado, this is my take on the events after Nevermore.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, all belong to the brilliant Rob Thurman.**

"...no pulse..."

"...damnit Cal, _breathe..."_

I drifted, not completely conscious but voices filtered in through the fog in my head. The rank smell of the river surrounded me and I became acutely aware that I couldn't breathe. Hands that had been previously occupied pumping the shit out of my chest now braced themselves on my arms and turned me onto my side, where I promptly puked out the water taking up residence in my lungs.

"Caliban, can you hear me? Stay with me, little brother."

Niko's concerned voice sliced through the remaining sluggish feeling engulfing my mind, and I peeled one eye open. Three sets of eyes met my gaze, two of them concerned and one of them mildly worried. Too bad I didn't give a flying fuck about the last one. As memories of the night's events took shape, I sat up, wiped my mouth, and focused on Robin. His green gaze shifted from extremely concerned to disbelieving in about half a second. Noting the sudden shift, and the strange cottage scene that played out before I woke, I asked, "What happened?"

Averting his gaze, he murmured, "You died Cal. For about ten minutes, you had no pulse and we couldn't resuscitate you. You were gone."

His answer, albeit creepy as fuck, was surprisingly one I expected. It explained the cottage scene entirely, in a way. I recalled being there after all the times I had died in my previous lives, and I would move on from that place. Except this time I refused to move on. No way in hell I was giving up when there was so much on the line, so much depending on me. Crazy-assed, monster blood-infused god? Bring it the fuck on. I was born of the First, who _dominated_ gods in their time. Can an Auphe kill a god? Possibly. Can an insane, time-traveling, half-blood willing to do anything to save his brother and his friend from an ungodly fiery fate achieve the same outcome?

I sure as hell can.

Inhaling a deep breath, I replied to Goodfellow, "I know. I remember now."

That caused him to look up sharply as he demanded, "You _know_? How the hell do you _know_? And why are you so calm? _Skata_ , you act as if I told you that you simply took a nap. You were dead, Cal. People don't just return from the dead."

I rolled my eyes and got to my feet. At least I knew Robin's drama king antics stayed the same over the past eight years. It wasn't as if I didn't realize that I shouldn't be alive right then, I did. But that just got filed under "Shit that Can Wait" on my priority list. First on that list was finding out what exactly we were up against, and how we were going to defeat it.

I gave Niko and Cal a once-over, checking for any injuries that might have been sustained from our less-than-graceful leap off of the ship. They both sat on the ground sopping wet, and a ring of purple and blue bruises from the shadow noose were lining Cal's neck. I guessed it matched my own, which made me think. If I had died, shouldn't he have? I mean, I wasn't wishing the little shit dead just yet, but we were both being strangled with the same intensity by Lazarus. Shouldn't he have had the same fate as me? And if so, why was I still here? I would have vanished the second Cal died.

Cocking my head to the side, I repeated my question from earlier, "So what happened? I know that we were running, you and I were being strangled to death," I gestured to Cal and myself "and we jumped into the river. After that, I start drawing a blank. How did Sarah Connor here survive the same damn thing that killed me?"

Cal seethed at the nickname--causing me to smirk-- but Niko answered before he could retort.

"As soon as we jumped in, the pressure released from Cal's neck. When we reached the shore, I began compressions on him and he came to in a few seconds. Goodfellow tried the same with you, but it seemed as if the noose stayed in place even under water. He started compressions as well when you were on the shore, but..." He trailed off, not wanting to voice the end of that sentence. I understood. Hell, I was _living_ it. Knowing that your brother is dead, future version of him or present, is a special kind of torture that I would wish on no one.

Taking a breath, I nodded my head once, pushed my black hair off of my face --my ponytail holder must have bit the dust during the fall-- and turned to Robin.

"A god, huh? To be honest, it's not that surprising. I seem to possess a special talent for pissing off gods. Must be my charming demeanor."

"Perhaps. We will discuss the issue of Tyr later, but first we should return to the penthouse. I don't know about you, but I have no desire to walk around smelling like week-old dead fish any longer than I have to." he responded smoothly, but fixed me with a pointed look that said the subject of my death and resurrection would not be forgotten.

Shrugging indifferently, I turned and began walking to the port, only to remember something else. I turned back and examined Cal closer than my previous once-over. Light jesting aside, I could still see the lingering effects of our conversation before the battle weighing heavily in his eyes. Niko must have noticed as well, although he was out of earshot for the exchange, because his hand was settled on the back of Cal's neck, conveying forgiveness and support. It's amazing how much could be said in those small movements, and how much could be left unsaid. Shaking off that thought before it make the hole in my chest grow bigger, I motioned to Cal and strode away from Niko and Robin. It was time to fix what had transpired between the two of us.

As soon as we were out of earshot, I crossed my arms over my chest and met his grey eyes with my own. He shoved his hands in his pockets--Niko never did break me of that habit-- and cast his gaze downward. Rolling my eyes, I sighed and said, "I'm not gonna yell at you, or insult you again. You can stop looking like a damn delinquent stuck in the principal's office now." Cal met my eyes again with a slight look of annoyance coating his features, and a small smile ghosted across my lips. I began, "I said some things to you earlier that I shouldn't have. I knew what would hurt you the most, and I used that for revenge. I apologize for that. You aren't a monster, and trust me, its taken a while for me to realize that and accept it. And yes, I said me, because like it or not, we are the same person. What you have to understand is that the only reason I'm here is to stop that assassin and ensure that you live long enough to become me. I can't do that if we're constantly at ends, and if I can't trust you.

"I know that you didn't intentionally hurt me earlier, but the fact remains that you did. You have absolutely no idea what I've been through, what kind of hell I'm _still_ going through that put me in the position that I was in. I need you to recognize that, and take it seriously. I can find a way to defeat Lazarus, but it'll be fucking hard-pressed to do that sleep deprived. I forgive you for earlier, just don't repeat that same mistake, got it?"

Most of the heaviness lifted from his eyes, Cal mirrored my smirk and said, "I won't. You can trust that. Even if I didn't say it, that puck will fucking _bury_ me if I pull anything like that again."

I snorted, "Yeah, you're probably right about that," and walked over to rejoin Niko and Robin. Niko raised his eyebrow at me in a silent question, and I gave him a reassuring smile in return. Robin looked at Cal with slight disdain, but probably guessing what our conversation had been about, his gaze lacked the cold hostility it permeated earlier. Without another word, I trudged in the direction of the penthouse, ready for this night to be over.

 **A/N: So, that's Chapter 1. What do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Don't care either way? Let me know. I absolutely love responsible Cal, but don't worry, all the other aspects of him will shine in later chapters.**


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